Hydrazine Space Program

[Whirligig Girl]

Rules are simple: No mods, build an orbital rocket with the fewest parts you can that uses only the White Radial Engine (Mark 55) and no Rockomax fuel tanks. The goal is to go as far as you can with the fewest parts and the lowest weight. I got to orbit with this. (73 Parts minus the pod and monoprop tank.)

You must also use the 3-man pod and a full large RCS tank with no Thrusters (These are not in the part count, exclude them, but the parachute is in the part count if you use one.) This is to give an unneccesarily bigger challenge. You must also return safely to Kerbin. Remember NO RCS Thrusters or SRBs are allowed!

Edited February 17, 2014 by GregroxMun

[vat21s]

You might wanna add that the RCS tank has to be full.

[MarvinKitFox]

Is this what you had in mind?

Pipe Dream, version 1: Toccata Image 1-7

77 parts, -2 allowed/required = 75. Should i subtract the 1 for mechjeb too?

shrugs. I need mechjeb for one thing only, really. It can engage full throttle *instantly*, thereby voiding the need for launch towers. Manual throttle-up is just too slow.

This design works just fine, aside from the need for engine-support on the landing pad, and a minor matter of the fuel lines for stage 4 requiring some manual pumping..

So: 75 parts, achievement: Mun orbit & return to Landing.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Next version will be added to same gallery, image 5+, if I can get it to work.

Edited February 17, 2014 by MarvinKitFox

[Whirligig Girl]

Is this what you had in mind?

Pipe Dream, version 1: Toccata Image 1-7

77 parts, -2 allowed/required = 75. Should i subtract the 1 for mechjeb too?

shrugs. I need mechjeb for one thing only, really. It can engage full throttle *instantly*, thereby voiding the need for launch towers. Manual throttle-up is just too slow.

This design works just fine, aside from the need for engine-support on the landing pad, and a minor matter of the fuel lines for stage 4 requiring some manual pumping..

So: 75 parts, achievement: Mun orbit & return to Landing.

http://imgur.com/a/uujZb

Next version will be added to same gallery, image 5+, if I can get it to work.

Sorry, No Mechjeb, but since the US government cannot do Ex Post Facto, neither should I. Add to the part count 5, just to be fair to future entries. All further entries may NOT have any mods, or they shall be disqualified, although it may still look cool.

Edited February 21, 2014 by GregroxMun
Yes I've been taking Civics and Economics this semester, why do you ask?

[MarvinKitFox]

No mechjeb? Meh... I can avoid it, if I can find a way to throttle 0->100% instantly.

My vehicle doesn't *stand* on its base, it *hangs* from its upper engines.

Ah well, was fun anyways.

[steffen_anywhere]

Ok I'm bored, not tired even though it is 12:30 AM here in Shanghai right now and I will start a speed build right now ... Opening KSP right now.. Don't expect anything beyond LKO, I don't have too much time... Maybe a better one later.

[steffen_anywhere]

Here's last night's build. I was too tired to upload it, so I'm doing it now. Here are some pics:

Capable of reaching a stable orbit just above the atmosphere. To deorbit, use last few dV to dip into the atmosphere and wait for hours until you actually deorbit because of orbital decay. Has 66 parts, but you could probably remove a few struts and get below 60.

[Rune]

No mechjeb? Meh... I can avoid it, if I can find a way to throttle 0->100% instantly.

My vehicle doesn't *stand* on its base, it *hangs* from its upper engines.

Ah well, was fun anyways.

Perfectly doable with action groups. Get all of your engines on one, turn them off, throttle up, and pressing the action groups will light them up instantly, and pressing it again...

Rune. You get the idea?

[Whirligig Girl]

No mechjeb? Meh... I can avoid it, if I can find a way to throttle 0->100% instantly.

My vehicle doesn't *stand* on its base, it *hangs* from its upper engines.

Ah well, was fun anyways.

Actually, just throttle up THEN stage the engines on.

[Silverchain]

Project Hydra Spleen

74 parts including the RCS tank and Command pod. It could be dropped by a fair few; it doesn't need so many chutes.

VAB. Y'know, I'm not really sure that those four way connectors work quite right like this...

We have lift off! Go shiny candles!

On orbit, with a small amount of fuel spare.

With an extra layer of staging (no more fuel, but split off part of the main stack) it could probably get quite a boost.

Back home.

[cyberklad]

34 parts + the rcs tank and the capsule. It gets to an 80x80km orbit with more then enough fuel to deorbit and land safely. Could spare 5 fuel lines, but then one would have to balance fuel manually.

When I stick a mechjeb part on it to thest the weight it weighs in at 85,67t. The flight was done all stock.

Edited February 21, 2014 by cyberklad

[Claw]

34 parts + the rcs tank and the capsule. It gets to an 80x80km orbit with more then enough fuel to deorbit and land safely. Could spare 5 fuel lines, but then one would have to balance fuel manually.

When I stick a mechjeb part on it to thest the weight it weighs in at 85,67t. The flight was done all stock.

Dang. This looks similar to what I am working on. Now I need to think of something else...

[Claw]

All stock. 29 parts, not including the capsule and monopro. MechJeb claims weight at 74.260t.

This flight was to a 78x78km orbit and landed in the rim of the crater.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited February 22, 2014 by Claw
Fixed Album